Tamer Evolution
by Sid1
Summary: After the end of Tamers, Ruki lands in hospital. When trying to puzzle out a way to help her, the Tamers get help from... Yamaki? Chapter 6 is up, will Ruki come back to life? (Please review)
1. Tamer down

Tamer Evolution  
Part 1  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  
You might have guessed it: I do not own Digimon.  
This fic takes place some months after the end of Tamers.  
Now just read the fic, I have no clue what else to write here...  
  


* * *

  
"Starting now."  
Initializing.  
"Okay, looks good. It seems to work as we planned."  
Loading pattern.  
"Finally. The day of our triumph is near now."  
Pattern loa-  
"Why did it stop?"  
"Don't know. All units are working at maximum power."  
"Maximum? this is just the starting sequence! They shouldn't be working at all!"  
"Well, they don't seem to ca- Oh my God. Look!"  
I.  
"What does this mean?"  
"Shut it off! NOW!"  
I am.  
"I... can't... The system won't accept my commands!"  
I am aware.  
"The main power switch!"  
"But-"  
"DO IT!"  
  
There is a polite knock at the door.  
Mikino Makino carefully opens the door a bit and sighs.  
"You must be Takato and Lee. Oh, and Juri." she whispers.  
"Sorry that we are this late. But we just heard of it." Lee whispers.  
"Should we return later? Maybe you want to be alone right now." Juri asks.  
"No. No. Please come in. Actually your timing is rather good."  
"It is?" Takato asks, unable to hide his surprise.  
"Yes. You will see."  
With these words, Mikino walks out of the room.  
  
Takato gulps.  
_Hospitals make me feel sick somehow._ he thinks.  
Then he sighs, knowing that the others want him to make the first step.  
He gently pushes the door open and looks into the room. Then he instantly closes the door again.  
"What's wrong?" Lee asks him.  
Takato simply shakes his head while some people walk past them.  
When they are gone, Takato opens the door again and quickly moves into the room.  
As soon as the others see what he had seen, they hurry, too.  
Juri quickly closes the door behind her and sighs.  
"Renamon!" Takato hisses.  
He blinks when the Digimon doesn't react.  
Then it dawns on him. The sadness of the whole scene suddenly hits him.  
"Oh my God."  
  
Juri gasps and fights back her tears.  
"So it is true."  
She looks at Ruki lying in the hospital bed.  
All kind of hospital equipment is connected to the young Tamer.  
It looks horrible seeing a strong girl like Ruki in such a position.  
_At least she is sleeping._  
Then she reminds herself of the newspaper article.  
_No. She is not sleeping. She is... gone._  
Finally her eyes focus on Renamon.  
The golden fox is kneeling at the bed, her upper body resting on the bed.  
Juri can see that Renamon's eyes are open.  
Then she notices how thin and weak the Digimon looks.  
  
"Renamon! Can you hear me?" Lee whispers.  
"...failed..."  
"Come on! What happened?" Takato urges the Digimon.  
"...Ruki..."  
Lee frowns when he sees Renamon's face. Tears roll down her cheeks.  
"I'm sorry Ruki. I failed." she whispers, gently nuzzling Ruki's cheek.  
"Don't say this. I'm sure you have done nothing wrong." Lee tries to calm her.  
Renamon suddenly whirls around and pushes Lee away.  
The boy staggers slightly, but he knows that she has held back.  
_Hasn't she? Or... has she become so weak...?_  
"You don't understand! I failed! It has been my duty to protect her!" Renamon yells.  
"Renamon! Why are you saying this?" Takato asks.  
"You... can't possibly understand it." Renamon sobs and sinks to her knees.  
"Guilmon would understand. Terriermon would understand." she whispers.  
Then she looks up at Juri and frowns.  
"Leomon has understood it." she continues.  
"What is she talking about?" Juri asks and frowns.  
  
"You know the answer."  
The group whirls around and faces the door.  
"Yamaki!" Takato hisses after a while.  
He almost didn't recognize the man without his black suit and the sunglasses.  
Yamaki sighs and closes the door behind him. Then he locks it.  
"The top priority of a human is survival. It's an instinct." the man tells them.  
Slowly he walks to Ruki's bed.  
"Your partners on the other hand have overcome this instinct."  
Looking into Renamon's eyes, he lifts his hand and moves it towards the unconscious Ruki.  
After some moments, Renamon nods weakly.  
"The Digimon have vowed to protect you. No matter what happens." he whispers.  
Carefully Yamaki checks Ruki's pulse and the devices monitoring her life signs.  
"Renamon thinks she failed her Tamer because she hasn't been able to prevent... this."  
"And it's true! We beat the Devas! The D-Reaper! And now... THIS!" Renamon cries.  
"Please listen to what I have to say. That's all I ask for."  
"You! You have done this!" Renamon suddenly hisses.  
"Unfortunately you are not completely wrong." Yamaki admits.  
"What are you talking about? What have you done?" Takato yells.  
"Will Ruki survive?" Lee asks.  
"And what are you doing here? Trying to finish the job?" Juri hisses.  
  
Takato and Lee stare at Juri.  
"Hey, I don't think he'd do that." Takato whispers.  
"True. But then why did he come here?" Lee asks.  
"We have to talk. Much has happened since the day we last met." Yamaki says and nods.  
"So? Talk!" Juri barks.  
"Not here. The whole group should be there. We will need all the help we can get."  
The group looks at Yamaki and frowns.  
"Hirokazu. Kenta. Shiuchon. Ryo. And their Digimon." Yamaki whispers.  
"Bad luck. They're in the DigiWorld." Takato mutters.  
"What?! Then this will be tough. What about Guilmon and Terriermon?"  
"Is this some new plan of Hypnos to delete the Digimon again?" Lee asks back.  
Yamaki sighs and shakes his head.  
  
"I wish it would be that easy." he mutters.  
He finishes checking the devices monitoring Ruki and nods.  
"Just as I thought. There is nothing we can do here at the moment."  
"So, Mr. Know-it-all, what do you suggest now?" Juri asks critically.  
"I suggest we meet at the Makino household. All of us." he says and looks at Renamon.  
Renamon only looks at Ruki and shakes her head.  
"I will stay here." she whispers and nuzzles Ruki again.  
Yamaki sighs. Before any of the others can react, he draws a small pistol out of his pocket.  
Even while Renamon starts to get up, he fires a small projectile at her.  
The pistol makes no sound, and Renamon only staggers frowns.  
"What have you-" she whispers.  
Then she collapses onto the floor.  
"A tranq dart. She has to come, too." Yamaki tells the group before they can ask anything.  
  
"Maybe it's best this way." Lee whispers and points at Renamon.  
"Are you insane?" Takato barks.  
"Just look at Renamon! I bet she hasn't eaten since Ruki got here!" Lee shouts.  
"But how are we supposed to get her out of here?" Juri asks.  
Yamaki tells them to wait and leaves the room.  
After a while he returns with a wheelchair and some large thin blankets.  
Knowing what has to be done, the Tamers lift Renamon's body into the wheelchair.  
"My God. She's so... light." Juri whispers, realizing that Lee must have been right.  
Quickly they hide Renamon's body under the blankets.  
"I have told Ruki's mother to stay here. She knows where we are going." Yamaki tells them.  
  
"What about Ruki? Will she-" Juri asks and bites her lower lip.  
"Don't worry. Her condition won't change. She is in good care here." Yamaki assures her.  
"One question before we go." Takato mutters and stands in front of Yamaki.  
"Of course. Just ask it."  
"Why are you doing this? I mean... you're helping us, right? But why if-"  
Yamaki holds up his hand.  
"This has been Hypnos' work. I have tried to stop it." he tells him.  
"How can we be sure of that?" Lee asks.  
"Believe me. Hypnos has even dared to fire me just to get rid of me."  
Takato and the others exchange curious looks.  
"I hate to say it, but I think we just have to believe him." Lee finally mutters.  
"We have to hurry. I want Guilmon near me when Renamon wakes up again." Yamaki mutters.  
For the first time today, the Tamers smile.  
Then they follow him through the corridors of the hospital.  
  


* * *

  
Author's notes:  
I do know that you are dying to know what has happened to Ruki.  
Or how the Digimon came back.  
Believe me, I'll answer all of these questions.  
This fic is a kind of experiment for me considering the mood and theme of it.  
But it perfectly reflects my current mood, so you can expect updates soon.  
Please write a review, I need to know what you think of this fic so far.  



	2. Digital soul?

Tamer Evolution  
Part 2  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
"Give it another try."  
"Sir, I wouldn't-"  
"Just start it."  
  
"Oh oh."  
"What do you mean? Why isn't it loading?"  
  
"Oh, it is loading. Loading like mad in fact."  
"Then why isn't it display- Oh my God."  
"Main power switch?"  
"HURRY!"  
Soon.  
  
Renamon slowly wakes up. She hears voices around her.  
They are discussing something. They. The Tamers.  
Discussing with Yamaki. He hurt Ruki. She knows it somehow. He is responsible.  
She groans as she tries to move.  
"Wow, she's waking up already." Yamaki mutters.  
Renamon opens her eyes and tries to focus them on something.  
"You sound surprised. She has been away for almost an hour." Takato mutters.  
"Well, the tranq dart should have knocked out a lion for a day."  
"Are you serious? Are Digimon that strong?" Juri asks Yamaki.  
"You Tamers should know it better than me."  
With a sigh, Renamon gives up her struggle to get up.  
"Oh, I'm sorry Renamon." Lee whispers and helps her to sit up.  
  
Juri frowns. She is the only one who has an idea how Renamon must feel.  
Losing Leomon has been the worst thing she ever experienced.  
And she didn't know him very long then. Renamon has known Ruki for more than an year.  
She takes a riceball into her hand and holds it in front of Renamon's mouth.  
Renamon blinks, trying to figure out what's going on.  
Finally she sees the food and who is holding it.  
"Go away. Just leave me." the Digimon mutters and stares at Juri.  
"Sure. Throw me out!" Juri dares the Digimon.  
Renamon snarls and lifts her paw to grab the girl.  
But the paw doesn't even make it halfway up.  
"You're too weak. You've got to eat." Juri tries to convince Renamon.  
"No! I failed Ruki! I don't deserve to live."  
Now it's Juri's turn to snarl.  
"Ruki is not dead!" she snaps, making Renamon flinch.  
Juri sighs when Renamon finally bites off a piece of the riceball.  
"Finally. You will need all your strength." Yamaki tells her.  
  
Takato sighs as he watches Renamon eat.  
Guilmon is lying on the floor next to him, watching the fox, too.  
The dino Digimon seems to feel that this is a very serious situation.  
_No begging for food, no silly games, no funny comments._  
By now Renamon is able to hold the food herself.  
_Boy, she must have been starving for some days._ he guesses.  
The report in the newspapaer said that Ruki has been in hospital for three days now.  
Takato bets that Renamon has been with her all that time. Non-stop.  
Maybe only disappearing when the doctors were in.  
_But I guess that she has stayed close to Ruki all the time._  
  
Takato now remembers what Yamaki had told them about the priorities their Digimon have set.  
"Guilmon? I have a question for you." he whispers.  
"What is it?" Guilmon asks him, never taking his eyes off Renamon.  
"This may sound weird, but I really want you to answer honestly."  
"Of course, Takato. Just ask."  
"If one of us had to die, and you could choose, who would die?"  
Lee and Juri gasp when they hear this question.  
Guilmon doesn't even stir.  
"I would. Why do you ask?" the dino answers instantly.  
_He didn't even think about the answer._  
"B-But why?" he asks.  
"You're my friend. And I would never let anything happen to you. Never."  
"See what I wanted to tell you?" Renamon asks and stares at Takato.  
Takato gulps and nods, stroking Guilmon's back.  
"Maybe this would be the right time to tell them what happened." Yamaki mutters.  
  
"I guess so." Renamon sighs and looks down.  
Juri looks at Takato and frowns.  
_I don't like this._ she thinks.  
"It has been three days ago. Ruki and I were in the park. Training."  
_Training? What for? Just for fun?_  
"Things weren't going too well. Ruki has been in one of her... moods again."  
_So she most probably blamed Renamon for all her problems again._ Juri thinks and smirks.  
"I... I..." Renamon covers her eyes with her paw and sighs.  
"It's all right. We-" Juri starts, but Renamon holds up her paw.  
After a short pause, Renamon seems to be ready to continue.  
"I reacted as usual, turning my back to her and vanishing. She sometimes wants to be left alone."  
Renamon shakes her head, and Juri suddenly feels cold.  
"Just as I vanished, a ray of light passed through my body. It didn't hit me... But..."  
Juri bites her lower lip when she realizes that Renamon is crying.  
"It hit Ruki! IT HIT HER!" the Digimon shouts, hiding her face behind her paws.  
  
Yamaki frowns, but nods.  
"Yes. It makes much more sense this way." he mutters.  
Takato stares at him and cocks his head.  
Yamaki simply gestures the boy to be patient.  
He watches as Lee and Juri try to comfort Renamon again.  
Both Tamers are holding her and stroking her fur.  
"And after this beam hit Ruki, she has been in the current condition, right?" Yamaki asks.  
Renamon looks at him with wide eyes and nods.  
"Just as I thought." he mutters.  
"What did you do to her?" Renamon hisses, flexing her claws.  
Yamaki sighs and holds up his hands.  
"This beam has been developed by Hypnos. But not by me."  
  
"Do you know the term AI?" Yamaki asks.  
"AI? Like in Artificial Intelligence?" Lee asks.  
"Exactly. After the DigiWorld has been sealed-"  
Yamaki pauses and looks at the assembled Digimon.  
"-Hypnos was suddenly an organization monitoring... nothing."  
"So you zap innocent girls?" Terriermon bluntly asks.  
This is the first time Lee does not order his partner to be quiet.  
"Hypnos became a research facility. Medicine, computer development, you name it."  
Yamaki coughs politely before he continues.  
"The server room has been used to develop an Artificial Intelligence."  
The Tamers frown. Renamon only stares into his eyes.  
"Well, it became obvious that normal software can't think." he tells them.  
"I could have told you that." Takato mutters.  
"Oh, the team has made amazing progress. In fact, it should have worked."  
Everybody gulps at the thought of an AI controlled by Hypnos.  
"After countless tests it became obvious that an AI would need a personality."  
  
Renamon's eyes widen when she hears that.  
"Then they...? Why? How?" she stammers.  
"The reserch team worked together with other teams to yome up with a solution." Yamaki begins.  
Then he sighs and shakes his head.  
"One of the teams found the old files about the Digimon Project."  
"You mean the files about us." Lee mutters.  
Yamaki decides to ignore the remark.  
"They re-activated the Scanning Facility and found out about your current presence."  
"Why were they interested in us?" Terriermon asks him.  
"You are the best working example of an AI." Yamaki explains.  
"I am not artificial. I am real!" Guilmon protests.  
"True. But you are made of data. Even your personality." Yamaki tells him.  
Renamon gasps.  
  
"So they wanted... me?" she whispers.  
"Yes. They modified old equipment to be able to target a single Digimon."  
"But that would just delete us." Terriermon reminds him.  
Yamaki shakes his head.  
"They modified it so it would scan and absorb data instead of deleting it."  
"So they wanted to give the AI Renamon's personality?" Juri asks.  
Terriermon and Guilmon suddenly snicker.  
"I don't want to hear one comment." Renamon hisses.  
"So the beam has hit Ruki. How did it affect her?" Takato asks.  
"Yeah. Our mind isn't digital." Lee adds.  
"In theory, nothing should have happened because of this fact." Yamaki admits.  
"Then why is Ruki in hospital, showing no brain activity?" Renamon asks quietly.  
  
"WHAT?" the three Tamers ask in unison.  
"She is showing no brain activity?" Takato asks.  
"But she was breathing on her own!" Lee protests.  
Renamon just holds up her hands until the questions stop.  
"Her brain is just doing enough to keep her body alive. Not more." she whimpers.  
Juri gently strokes the Digimon's fur and sighs.  
"The beam did that. It absorbed her personality. Her soul so to speak." Yamaki explains.  
"But that should be impossible! You said that yourself!" Takato shouts.  
"Well... This is the interesting part..." Yamaki admits.  
The man closes his eyes and sighs.  
"It looks as if you... changed when you and your Digimon digivolved into one being."  
"You mean... Our thoughts became digital?" Lee asks and frowns.  
Yamaki only shrugs helplessly.  
"It would make sense in a way. But I wouldn't have expected this." he sighs.  
  
"So... Ruki has been turned into a working AI?" Renamon whispers weakly.  
"In a way. Her brain patterns have been implemented into the Hypnos mainframe."  
Yamaki suddenly chuckles.  
"They still think they got Renamon. Only I realized what was going on when I read about Ruki."  
"Then they will try it again? Or are they happy now?" Juri carefully asks.  
"They are not happy. The system has become... stubborn. It won't cooperate."  
Renamon suddenly grins.  
"Yeah. That is my Ruki." she whispers.  
"Then they will come after Renamon now?" Juri repeats her question.  
"No. I destroyed the files and their backups. That's why I have been fired."  
Everybody stares at Yamaki.  
"Now they have a gun and a radar, but no patterns to look for." he explains.  
"Wow. I guess we have to thank you in a way." Takato whispers.  
"Yeah. Sorry for our previous doubts." Lee adds.  
  
"But now what? We may be safe, but what about Ruki?" Terriermon asks.  
Yamaki smirks and takes a disc out of his pocket.  
"Before going, I copied their files of the project." he explains.  
"Then you think there is a way to bring her back?" Renamon asks.  
Yamaki is pleased to see that the Digimon is showing some of her old fighting spirit again.  
"Yes. The neccessary equipment is already in the facility."  
"Then let's go!" Takato cheers.  
"Not so fast. There are still some problems." Yamaki tells him.  
Renamon cocks her head, obviously eager to get Ruki back.  
  
"First of all, we have to get inside somehow. This won't be easy." he starts.  
"Of course. We'd have to fight our way in." Takato mutters.  
Yamaki nods and continues.  
"Then we have to bring Ruki with us."  
"The hospital won't just let her go in her condition." Juri observes.  
"Correct. And the fight will be hard since we only got three Digimon." Lee adds.  
"And only two can digivolve." Renamon reminds them.  
Takato suddenly stands up, looking very determined.  
"So what? If we work together, we will make it!" he shouts.  
"Right! We have to get Ruki back!" Juri adds, standing next to Takato.  
"Yeah. We have had tougher opponents before!" Lee says, being the last Tamer to stand up.  
Renamon wipes away her tears and sighs happily.  
"Thanks to all of you. I really owe you something for this." she whispers.  
"Don't say that. You would do the same for us!" Terriermon says, jumping onto her shoulder.  
The vulpine Digimon nods and hugs Terriermon and Guilmon.  
  
Yamaki gives each of the Tamers and Renamon discs.  
"These are blueprints of the building. I have highlighted the area we have to go to."  
"When will we do it?" Takato asks.  
"As soon as possible. Tomorrow would be best. We don't have much time."  
"Why is that so?" Juri asks, cocking her head.  
"I bet Hypnos is working hard to make Ruki cooperate." Yamaki explains.  
"Then we will do it tomorrow." Renamon decides.  
Yamaki nods and gives them a business card with his phone number.  
"I will wait for your call then." he tells them and stands up to leave.  
"I guess we should leave, too." Takato whispers.  
Juri and Lee nod in unison.  
"I we will find you in Ruki's room, right?" Terriermon asks Renamon.  
The Digimon nods and escorts the group to the door.  
_Don't worry, Ruki. We will get you back._ she vows.  



	3. Tamer Evolution

Tamer Evolution  
Part 3  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
"Okay. One last try."  
"Should I load it into the new playground?"  
"Yes. Let it roam free within its borders. As long as it stays there, it's fine."  
"Got it. Loading now."  
You will fail.  
"Whatever. How's it going?"  
"It's staying within... Oh. Oh oh."  
"What's happening?"  
"It just absorbed and modified the playground program."  
Nice try.  
"Nice try indeed. Very well. Connect that server over there!"  
"Sir, are you even aware what is stored on that server?"  
"Oh yes I am. I studied some files before Yamaki destroyed them."  
"Well, I have worked with Yamaki on that project and I advise you to-"  
"Don't lecture me, connect it! NOW!"  
Ah yes... Freedom...  
"Connecting. God, forgive me."  
EXECUTING.  
Wha-  
OBLITERATE.  
Renamon! Help-  
"There. One less stubborn digital being."  
  
"Ruki!" Renamon shouts, waking up from her uneasy sleep.  
For a moment the Digimon thought she had heard Ruki's voice.  
It had been weak, frantic and desperate.  
Renamon blinks and looks down at Ruki's body, the empty shell looking like her Tamer.  
The fox whines as she nuzzles the girl's cheek.  
Then she sighs. Ruki wouldn't want Renamon pitying herself.  
_She called me. Ruki needs me. I must find a way to help her._  
She walks to the window and stares at the sunset.  
_How should we get Ruki into the building? There will be guards with guns._  
Resting her forehead on the glass, she sighs.  
_One bullet and Ruki is gone forever._  
Renamon stays like this for some minutes. Then she starts to analyse their previous battles.  
_I always had to keep an eye on Ruki. To make sure she wouldn't get hurt. Always._  
Renamon looks at the unconscious figure on the bed.  
_Well... Not always. When we fused into Sakuyamon, things were different._  
The fox Digimon blinks. Then she cocks her head.  
  
Ruki's room hadn't changed much after Renamon had left the real world.  
After her return, Renamon had come into this room. It had almost been midnight.  
What the fox had seen almost made her cry.  
Ruki slept on her futon. The girl had obviously cried during her sleep.  
And her right hand rested on the D-Arc. The last reminder of Renamon's existence.  
Seeing how Ruki couldn't let go, she decided to lock the D-Arc away.  
After all, Renamon had returned and there wasn't anybody to fight.  
There was no need for the card slashing device. So she and Ruki did it.  
"We vowed not to get it back unless we really needed it." Renamon whispers.  
Her paw moves over the large and massive wooden panel.  
The panel is covering an ancient safe. It's one of the few new objects in Ruki's room.  
Renamon sighs and clenches her paw into a fist.  
Then she hits the safe with a Wisteria Punch.  
After a few long seconds, Renamon sinks to her knees and screams in agony.  
"Okay... That was dumb..." she mutters.  
  
Now she remembers why they had picked this safe.  
The D-Arc should be out of reach. It should be impossible for one person to take it.  
To ensure this, the 16-digit combination for the safe has been split up.  
Ruki knows the first seven numbers. Renamon knows the last seven.  
Lee and Takato know one each, although they have no idea what it's good for.  
Renamon remembers the details of the safe.  
The hardest steel of the DigiWorld protected the D-Arc.  
Renamon looks at the hole she has made into the wood.  
The steel behind it has some scratches.  
The vulpine warrior grits her teeth and hits the spot again. And again. And again.  
  
It's almost midnight and Mikino Makino walks through the kitchen.  
With her daughter in hospital, it was impossible for to sleep.  
Finally she had given it up and went to the kitchen.  
The young woman turns around when she hears somebody enter the room.  
"Renamon?" she asks, looking at the fox.  
The Digimon nods and walks to the sink.  
Mikino can now see that Renamon's right paw is wounded.  
Groaning, Renamon holds the bloody paw into the water.  
"What happened?" Mikino asks, worrying about the Digimon.  
"Nothing you have to worry about." Renamon whispers, closing her eyes.  
When Renamon has finished cleaning her fur, Mikino can see that the injury isn't too severe.  
As the Digimon turns away from the sink, Mikino notices another thing.  
"Is... this..." she whispers, pointing at Renamon's glove.  
"Yes. It's the D-Arc." the fox answers, pointing at the device attached to the glove.  
"Then I guess you will fight again."  
Renamon looks into Mikino's eyes and nods.  
Then she vanishes, leaving Mikino frowning, but somehow relieved.  
_Good luck, Renamon._  
  
Renamon appears in Ruki's room and checks the time.  
The nurse will come here in an hour. More than enough time.  
Renamon takes the D-Arc into her paws and - hesitates.  
_Will this really work? Or have I gone crazy?_ she asks herself.  
She had been convinced by her idea until now. But now she doubts it.  
Renamon closes her eyes and thinks of the fusion to Sakuyamon.  
_I digivolved... and Ruki was inside me..._  
Renamon remembers Ruki telling her that it had felt as if she was a pilot.  
Ruki had guided Renamon's actions, had controlled the Digimon.  
_But would it work the other way round?_  
Renamon looks down at Ruki's soulless body.  
_There is only one way to find it out._  
She takes the D-Arc into her paw just like Ruki has done it.  
"Matrix Evolution!" she shouts, pointing the device at her Tamer.  
  
Guilmon wakes up growling.  
"G-Guilmon? What is it?" Takato asks, being woken by the noise.  
"I... don't know... I smell... power..." the dino Digimon whispers.  
"A Digital Field?" Takato asks, although both of them now that this isn't the case.  
"No... This is just... power. It's pure... so pure..."  
Guilmon looks out of the window, as if waiting for something big to happen.  
  
Renamon sinks to her knees crying.  
It hadn't worked. Of course it hadn't. It has been a dumb idea from the start.  
"What have I been thinking?" she sobs and shkes her head.  
"Ruki is a human! She can't digivolve!"  
The Digimon pulls herself up so that her upper body is lying next to Ruki.  
"Forgive me Ruki." Renamon cries and closes her eyes.  
_A human digivolving and a Digimon in her head. Oh God, I have gone insane._  
She'd challenge Guilmon in the morning. A fight to the death.  
This way she could die like a warrior. She isn't worthy of having a Tamer.  
A failure. Without Ruki, Renamon is nothing.  
"I'm sorry Ruki. I tried... but I failed." Renamon whispers and stands up.  
She holds the D-Arc close to her chest and closes her eyes.  
"But before I go I wanted to say..."  
Her tears fall onto her arms. Her chest. The D-Arc.  
"I am proud of having been your Digimon." she whispers.  
Then she can feel the D-Arc start to glow.  
  
"It... It has become so quiet..."  
"Of course. Once this digital rebel had been wiped away, everything became better."  
"You really believe this, don't you?"  
"Well, you can see that the AI is working now."  
"I seriously doubt that it will stay this way... sir."  
  
Renamon closes her eyes and lets the digivolution happen.  
She has often fused with Ruki. But this time, she notices differences.  
The fox can feel her identity being reduced to a faint whisper and almost struggles.  
Almost.  
_This is the way Ruki must have felt._  
She feels her body fade away from her and prays that this really works.  
Then, the world is dark once again.  
And Renamon... breathes. It's over.  
Slowly she opens her eyes again and blinks.  
She is looking up at the ceiling. And her body aches.  
"What happened?" she hears a female voice ask.  
Panicking, Renamon turns her head. But she does not see anybody.  
"Who is-" she starts to ask.  
Then she realizes that this her voice matches the first one.  
Her voice reminds her of Ruki. But it sounds older.  
  
Renamon starts to sit up, but pauses when she feels something tug at her arm.  
She looks at her left arm and gulps. The injection needles are still in her arm.  
Gritting her teeth, Renamon carefully removes the needles and the other hospital stuff.  
She also removes all the sensor pads used to monitor her- Ruki's heartbeat.  
"Oh oh." Renamon mutters and looks at the monitors.  
All displays are showing off-the-scale values and Renamon bets that an alarm has been activated.  
Renamon quickly gets out of the bed and stands up.  
Just as she wants to look at herself in a mirror, somebody opens the door.  
Reacting on an instinct, Renamon kicks the door shut again.  
Then she locks it and sighs.  
_Why didn't I hear them coming? Or smell them?_ she asks herself.  
Then she realizes that this form is based on Ruki, not on her own body.  
"Open up!" she hears somebody outside yell.  
Renamon snarls and clenches her fists. Then she blinks and unclenches the fists again.  
"Five fingers..." she mutters and moves her fingers.  
_Snap out of it!_ she scolds herself and clenches her fists again.  
Just then, somebody must have found the master key for the door.  
Even with Ruki's senses, Renamon can hear somebody unlock the door.  
  
The door is pushed open and Renamon can see three people entering.  
Renamon quickly sees that they are from the hospital security.  
All men gasp when they see her and the Digimon uses this moment to strike.  
Her first punch sends one of the men out of the room, and Renamon is surprised by her own strength.  
But now a man has grabbed her left wrist and she can see the last one trying to snatch her right one.  
She quickly avoids the last man and uses her free hand to punch the man holding her.  
The punch hits the man's face and Renamon knows that he is bleeding.  
Before the last man can help his buddy, Renamon kicks him away so that he flies onto Ruki's bed.  
Not wanting to wait for reinforcements, the Digimon dashes out of the room.  
  
"My God. It's way past midnight."  
"You were the one who ordered the late-night shift, sir."  
"Yes. Yes. How is our... project doing?"  
"It reminds me of a snake, sir. It's waiting to strike."  
"Don't be ridiculous. What is it waiting for then?"  
"I don't know, sir."  
"It has everything it could wish for. It will cooperate. I know it."  
  
Renamon runs through the empty streets until she is sure nobody is following her.  
Once her adrenaline level has dropped a bit, she starts to feel... cold.  
She shivers and frowns.  
_It's summer! I shouldn't be freezing like this!_  
Renamon raises an arm and blinks.  
Then she laughs when she realizes why she is freezing.  
"Of course! No fur! My God, however did Ruki manage without fur? I feel so..."  
She blinks again. Then she gulps and touches her new body.  
"...nude..."  
Slowly Renamon begins to realize that she is not wearing any clothes.  
She hadn't even thought about it since she never had to care about such things.  
Blushing, Renamon starts to look for a clothes store.  
When she finds one, she smacks her forehead.  
"Closed... Of course... God, I should have guessed that one."  
But Renamon knows that she can't possibly walk all the way home without clothes.  
She sighs and walks to s parked car. Then she bows down, grabs the front bumper and rips it off.  
Then she turns around and faces the shop window.  
  
And finally, Renamon sees her reflection in the window.  
She gasps when she realizes that she looks just like Ruki. Like an adult Ruki.  
"Awesome..." she whispers, touching her auburn hair.  
Her hair is even longer than Ruki's, and Renamon smiles at her reflection.  
Then she shakes her head once again and smashes the window with the bumper.  
  
Knowing that time is working against her, Renamon dresses quickly.  
She picks dark blue jeans and a dark T-shirt.  
She has watched Ruki dress a thousand times and knows what she needs.  
Finally the only thing missing is a belt.  
Renamon first wants to pick any belt, but then she stops and smiles.  
Then she carefully picks a very special belt.  
It's made of black leather, and it features a fox-head buckle.  
_Just like the one I have as Sakuyamon..._  
Completely dressed now, Renamon dashes out of the store before the police arrives.  
  
Ruki Makino blinks.  
Everything is cold. And dark. And... empty.  
"Renamon?" she whispers.  
But nobody answers her call.  
Curling up into a small ball, Ruki closes her eyes and cries.  
_Game over._  



	4. Preparing for the fight

Tamer Evolution  
Part 4  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
"Mikino." the eldest member of the Makino family whispers.  
Ruki's mother only grunts, having slept for an hour only.  
Rumiko shows her the phone.  
"It's the hospital, they say it's-"  
She doesn't have a chance to finish her sentence since Mikino has already grabbed the phone.  
"Mikino Makino speaking, what is it?" she asks, being completely awake by now.  
There is a slight pause. Mikino pales.  
Rumiko gasps when her daughter suddenly collapses, having passed out.  
She curses and grabs the phone.  
"What happened to Ruki?" she hisses at the doctor who had asked to speak with Mikino.  
Your grand-daughter has probably been kidnapped, Mrs. Makino. the doctor sighs.  
Her grip on the receiver tightens as Rumiko tries to remain calm.  
"Kidnapped? PROBABLY? Does that mean you have no idea where she is?" she hisses.  
We only know of a nude red-haired woman coming out of her empty room.  
_I must be dreaming. This is just a nightmare._ Rumiko tells herself.  
She says good-bye and drops the receiver.  
Then she covers her face with her hands and weeps.  
  
Renamon stops at a corner and tries to catch her breath.  
She has cursed Ruki's body at least a hundred times during the last three minutes.  
The fact that she couldn't simply vanish had not surprised her too much.  
But it seems as if she has Ruki's old endurance. Meaning no endurance at all.  
_Boy, she should have trained a bit._ Renamon thinks and smiles.  
She admits that she has done things normal humans couldn't have done.  
But it feels less remarkable when compared to her old body.  
_Stop daydreaming and get home!_ she scolds herself.  
Renamon shakes her head when she realizes that the Makino home is still far away.  
Too far, considering her current constitution.  
She curses loudly and slams her fist against a lamp pole.  
Seconds later she yelps as the pole falling towards her.  
_Okay! I take back everything bad I have thought about this body!_  
Renamon smiles at the new crash site. Then she looks at her fist.  
Her fist looks merely bruised, but not really injured.  
Nodding, she starts to run down the street, away from the crash site.  
  
Yamaki paces through his apartment, cursing himself.  
He has always been a thinker, not a fighter.  
_And now I'm leading a bunch of kids and their Digimon against a small army!_  
He wonders whether he has gone too far this time.  
"Am I doing this only because I lost my job? Am I only seeking revenge?"  
Nobody answers him. Nobody is there to answer.  
"No. I have only lost my job because... because..."  
_...because I wanted to protect the Tamers and their partners._  
Yamaki cocks his head and frowns.  
"I've... tried to help them. And I will help them!" he whispers and nods.  
His great moment of self-awareness is ruined by a beeping sound of his laptop.  
The ex-Hypnos employee sighs and looks at the screen.  
When he sees who has sent the mail that caused his laptop to beep, he quickly sits down.  
Minutes later, he curses loudly.  
_That changes everything. In fact, I think we'll be too late to rescue Ruki._  
He blinks when he realizes that his first thought has been about the well-being of the kid.  
_Oh. Yeah. And the world is once again in terrible danger._  
Yamaki snickers when he realizes how his priorities have shifted.  
Still he decides not to tell the Tamers about this mail.  
_They would still go in, no matter what I tell them._  
He nods and sighs.  
_It would be foolish to crush their fighting spirit just now._  
  
"Still so far away..." Renamon groans.  
She asks herself why Ruki had to be delivered into a hospital that far away from home.  
When she smells bread nearby, she realizes that she hasn't eaten anything since her meeting.  
_I'll leave them a note who to bill for all this._ she promises and nods.  
She quickly runs to the place where the smells come from.  
Just as she wants to rip off a car bumper, Renamon realizes that she knows this building.  
Snickering, she thanks all the Gods she knows for her good luck.  
Then she jumps up and grabs the edge of the balcony above her.  
_I hope Takato isn't sleeping yet..._ she thinks as she climbs onto the balcony.  
  
"I... I don't think we should do this..." Juri whispers "Why not?" Takato asks as he gently kisses her cheek.  
"It's just because... Ruki." the girl finally admits.  
Takato sighs and holds his friend in the darkness of his room.  
"I know. But Ruki's fate has shown me that we should enjoy life while we can."  
"You talk about Ruki as if she's dead." Juri hisses.  
The boy gulps when he realizes that she is right.  
"I'm sorry. But let's forget Ruki just for a few minutes..." he whispers.  
Just as he wants to kiss Juri's neck, somebody violently knocks at the balcony window.  
Both Tamers yelp, blushing like mad.  
"God, if this is some silly joke, I-" Juri hisses as she marches to the curtains covering the window.  
She quickly moves the curtains aside and yelps again. Louder this time.  
Takato rushes to the window and yelps, too.  
A strange woman is standing on the balcony, waving her hand.  
"Who is it, Takato?"  
Takato whirls around and shrieks when he sees Guilmon standing behind him.  
"How'd you get in here?" he asks his partner.  
"I haven't been gone. I slept under these blankets." the Digimon mutters.  
Takato gulps and blushes when he realizes that his partner had almost witnessed him and Juri doing-  
A gentle knock at the window prevents him from getting a nosebleed.  
While Takato turns around once again, Guilmon moves closer to the window.  
The woman bows down and stares into the dino's eyes.  
For a long time, nothing happens. Then, finally Guilmon cocks his head.  
"Ruki...mon?" he asks, making both Tamers gasp.  
  
"Thanks." Renamon mutters as she sinks to her knees after entering the room.  
"Okay, this is... weird." Juri whispers as she moves closer to Takato.  
"R... Ruki?" Takato only stammers, frowning.  
Renamon cant actually blame him.  
"Actually Ruki and Renamon. I... kinda digivolved." she tries to explain.  
"So you fused with Ruki's body?" Juri asks.  
Renamon nods weakly, remembering why she came here.  
"Could I please have some food? I'm starving!" she begs.  
Takato frowns, then snickers.  
"Now what's so darn funny?" Renamon asks flatly.  
"Are you sure you didn't fuse with Guilmon, too?" Takato mutters.  
Renamon snarls and holds up her hand.  
"This hand has broken a lamp post. Wanna find out what it can do to your face?"  
The Digimon smiles when she sees Takato leaving the room in a hurry, mumbling something about food.  
Guilmon joins him, probably wanting some food himself.  
That leaves only Renamon and Juri.  
  
Juri can't help but stare at Renamon's new form.  
"What?" Renamon asks after a while, sounding bored and annoyed.  
"You're... errrm... how should I put it..." the Tamer stammers.  
"I'm what?" Renamon asks, sounding as if she expects a taunt.  
"...beautiful..." Juri mutters, her eyes still fixed on the woman/Digimon.  
Renamon blinks in surprise.  
"Say what? Beautiful?" Renamon asks.  
"Yeah... You look like the adult version of Ruki... sort of."  
"Only sort of?"  
"Well, I don't think Ruki would ever wear her hair like that." Juri points out and snickers.  
Renamon just groans.  
"Here I am, having done the unimaginable, and you only comment my hair style?"  
Juri laughs and moves closer to hug the Digimon.  
"I'm sorry. At least you found a solution for the problem of transporting Ruki."  
Renamon nods happily.  
"By the way: How did you convince the hospital staff to release her?" Juri suddenly asks.  
  
"Oh boy." Renamon mutters and gulps.  
_I didn't even think of that..._  
She realizes that the hospital guys might miss Ruki's body by now.  
And Renamon has seen enough movies to know what the police might think.  
"My God, I need a phone!" she mutters and jumps to her feet.  
"You mean they don't-"  
"OF COURSE NOT!" Renamon yells at the Tamer.  
Then she closes her eyes and sighs.  
"S-Sorry. But I really have to phone the Makino's!"  
  
Rumiko Makino.  
Renamon bites her lower lip. Rumiko sounds weak. Beaten.  
"R-Rumiko? It... It's..."  
Who is there? I don't recognize your voice.  
"Oh God... It's..."  
The Digimon closes her eyes. She feels as if she has done something bad.  
As if she is responisble for the way Rumiko is feeling.  
Oh God... You're the kidnapper, aren't you? Rumiko suddenly gasps.  
_KIDNAPPER?_  
"Rumiko! No! It's me! Renamon!" Renamon shouts desperately.  
R-Renamon? Oh thank God. The police called! Ruki has been kidnapped! Rumiko sobs.  
"Rumiko, listen to me! Ruki is all right. Believe me!" Renamon tells her.  
She... is? But how? The police told us-  
"I can imagine it. But you have to believe me."  
Are you sure? Rumiko sobs, sounding a bit relieved.  
"Absolutely. You'll see what I mean once I get home."  
  
Juri notices with a smirk that even Guilmon is surprised by the amount of food Renamon can eat.  
"You are aware that Ruki will hate you if you leave her with a fat body?" she asks playfully.  
Renamon cocks her head, then resumes eating.  
"As long as she comes back, I don't care." she finally mutters.  
Takato sighs as he watches the Digimon eat.  
"Do you need anything else?" he asks her.  
"A ride home would be really nice." Renamon instantly replies.  
Takato instantly gets up to wake his parents, but Renamon holds his arm.  
The boy gives her a confused look, and Renamon only frowns.  
Finally she gives him a shy smile.  
"Thanks. For everything." she whispers, then releases his hand.  
  
"I'll call you tomorrow." Renamon says as she exits the car.  
"See you then." Takato and Juri reply in unison.  
When the car is out of sight again, Renamon rings the bell at the gate of the Makino compound.  
Half a minute later, the gate is slowly opened by Rumiko.  
"Wh-Who are you?" the old woman whispers.  
Renamon doesn't make any sudden movements, knowing that Rumika has a Taser hidden behind her back.  
She always has when she opens the door at night.  
"Tell Mikino that Ruki and Renamon have arrived." Renamon whispers.  
Slowly Rumiko begins to understand what Renamon has told her.  
"R-Renamon? Is that you?" she whispers in awe.  
"In a way. May I come in please?"  
  
Reika covers her eyes with a hand and sighs.  
The new guy, Tenbatsu, lives up to his name.  
_"Wrath of God". How fitting._  
Reika had quickly realized that the being Tenbatsu had caught hasn't been Renamon.  
_It must have been Ruki. The girl that has landed in hospital. The Tamer._  
And now... Now the girl's essence has been... wiped out?  
She stares at her screen, as if trying to see the predator they have unleashed.  
_Maybe Tenbatsu will really be the Wrath of God._ she thinks.  
"I'm sorry." she whispers, touching the screen.  
Then she frowns. Reika somehow knows that this... predator program is waiting for something.  
_It could spread over the entire net. Yet it stays here. What could it want? _  
The woman leans back in her chair and cocks her head.  
"Let's hope I'll never find it out."  



	5. Walking into the lion's den

Tamer Evolution  
Part 5  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
"Renamon? Are you in th-" Takato shouts, opening the door.  
When he sees Ruki's room, he stops.  
Mikino had told them to come right in. Renamon would be in there.  
"Oh, Takato. Juri. Guilmon." Renamon replies calmly openign her eyes.  
The Digimon had probably been meditating or something.  
Takato is still standing in the doorway, staring at the room Renamon is sitting in.  
There are black metal shards scattered across the floor.  
_What happened here? It looks as if something exploded!_  
Then he notices that he is actually seeing Renamon. The Rookie level Digimon.  
"What happened?" he asks, taking a look around.  
He gasps once again when he sees Ruki lying in a corner, covered with a blanket.  
"Where are Lee and Terriermon? And where is Yamaki?" Renamon asks back.  
"They should be here any minute now." Juri answers.  
Renamon nods slowly, her facing giving them no clue about her emotional state.  
"Would you please wait outside while I... while we get ready?" the fox finally asks.  
  
Yamaki frowns when he sees Takato, Juri and Lee.  
Or rather, the bright light coming through the door they're leaning next to.  
Ruki's grandmother had told him where to go, but she hadn't told him about such things.  
"What's going on here?" he asks, pointing at the door.  
As if having waited for the cue, the light disappears.  
"Renamon is getting ready in there." Takato tells him.  
"Well, as long as she hurr-"  
Yamaki coughs politely when he sees the young lady come out of Ruki's room.  
_Maybe Ruki's aunt. Or her real mother, judging by her looks._  
"Good morning, Mrs. Makino. My name is Yamaki and-" he starts to introduce himself.  
"-and you obviously mistake me." the woman replies with a smile.  
"She's Renamon." Takato whispers with a chuckle.  
"And Ruki." Juri adds.  
"Rukimon." Guilmon cheers.  
Then the dino Digimon kisses the floor and grunts after being hit by Renamon's punch.  
"You kids never fail to amaze me..." Yamaki whispers and allows himself a smile.  
  
An hour later, the Tamers and their Digimon are sitting in the van Yamaki has rented.  
"Okay, you know the plan. Please, PLEASE stick to it!" he shouts over the sound of the engine.  
Everybody nods, knowing what is at stake here.  
Yamaki doubts that any of them are actually thinking about his career, but he knows they'll execute the plan.  
"Well, here it is..." He mutters as he drives the van around the last corner.  
The Hypnos building complex looks even taller from the street.  
"Yamaki?" Lee asks, interrupting his thoughts.  
"What is it?"  
"Why are you doing this? I mean... If we stick to the plan, and if you really take full responsibility..."  
The blue-haired boy hesitates, as if looking for the right words.  
"Won't you get arrested for it?" he finishes the question.  
Yamaki chuckles.  
"Not if everything works as I expect it to work." he answers dryly.  
There is a long pause as the Tamers understand the implications.  
As he parks the van, Yamaki gives the kids a reassuring smile.  
"Don't worry about it. We'll bring back your friend no matter what."  
  
"Oh yeah. Work for Hypnos. Good pay. Nice organization." Janet groans.  
She had been a bodyguard. Then her family had to move here.  
She had declared she'd start a new life in Japan. A safe life.  
So she had applied for the job of receptionist. The name Hypnos sounded nice back then.  
Then this D-Reaper started taking over Tokyo during her first week.  
From that time on, she wasn't too eager to join the Hypnos fan club.  
_At least things are pretty calm now._ she tells herself and sighs.  
"Hello Janet!" a happy male voice greets her.  
Janet tries not to blush. Getting caught daydreaming is not the best thing to happen.  
She looks up with her best smile on her face.  
"Good day, welcome to Hyp-" she startes her usual greeting.  
Then she sees who she is talking to.  
"Ya-Ya-" she stammers, staring up at the man.  
_Darn! It's this lunatic they fired some days ago! And he looks too happy._  
"Please stay calm. We just have some business to attend to."  
Janet blinks and looks at the persons next to Yamaki.  
A woman and a girl. But Yamaki never looked like a husband or a father to her.  
"Please call the guards. There is going to be a crisis here in about thirty seconds."  
Janet looks at the smiling woman who had spoken.  
Before she can think of a good reply, the trio walks to the stairwell.  
Janet blinks. Then she realizes that she has just let intruders walk into the building.  
"Hey you! Wai-" she shouts and stands up.  
Then she sees something just outside the building.  
Two boys. And a red dino. And a small almost-animatronic bunny.  
"Oh boy." she mutters, realizing that these are not puppets.  
  
Lee smiles at the woman staring at them.  
Slowly, he raises his D-Arc.  
Even from that far away, he can see the woman's eyes widen.  
"Here goes nothing..." Takato whispers.  
Lee nods without breaking the eye contact with the receptionist.  
"Card Slash -" he shouts, beginning the startling sequence of movements he had developed.  
_Just startle them. Scare them. Don't kill them._ he reminds himself once again.  
"- DIGIVOLUTION ACTIVATE!" he shouts, completing the slash.  
"Terriermon digivolves to..."  
  
"SECURITY TO LOBBY! SECURITY TO LOBBY!" Janet screams into the phone.  
The sight of the animatronic bunny starting to glow and grow had told her the entire story.  
She had always considered bunnies and dogs to be cute.  
What's the matter, Janet? the guard at the phone asks.  
Janet gasps, trying to think of a way to describe the huge creature outside.  
"Errr... Picture the Energizer Bunny. Then picture his big, bad brother wielding machineguns..."  
She closes her eyes briefly and lets out a sigh.  
_Oh yeah. Work for Hypnos. It's sooooooo safe._  
Hmmm... Are you feeling all right? You sound a bit... well... unstable...  
Just as Janet is about to reply something really ugly, she sees the dog-bunny raise its arms.  
"Oh crap."  
  
Yamaki jumps slightly when the sound of machinegun fire echoes through the stairwell.  
He then coughs and tightens his grip on the bag he is carrying.  
"Relax." Renamon whispers, but Yamaki realizes that she is not really talking to him.  
The woman-shaped Digimon continues to look up, as if trying to x-ray the floors above them.  
Then she frowns, causing Juri and Yamaki to frown, too.  
"God, being in a human body feels like being deaf and blind!" Renamon finally mutters.  
As if on cue, the door in front of them is slammed open.  
Yamaki curses himself, remembering that the guard's room is on that floor.  
"See what I mean?" Renamon asks, sounding almost bored.  
Yamaki looks up at the armed guard standing in front of them.  
"Run! There are evil Energizer Bunnies on the loose!" the man suddenly shouts.  
Yamaki sees Renamon and Juri grin when they hear this.  
However, the fun ends abruptly when the guard sees Yamaki.  
"Hey wait, aren't you the guy who had been fired by-"  
  
The guard grunts and collapses, Renamon now standing next to him, her fist buried in his stomach.  
Yamaki blinks and asks himself how anybody or anything could move this fast.  
"Hey, what's going on over there?" Yamaki hears somebody shout.  
"Terrific." Renamon mutters and slams the metal door shut again.  
"Come on! We've got to run!" Yamakie shouts at her, but Renamon shakes her head.  
The woman/Digimon closes her eyes and keeps standing in front of the door.  
Just when Yamaki wants to ask another question, Renamon moves again.  
Yamaki can make out a spiralling jump-kick of some sort, but it happens too fast to make out details.  
The effects, however are qute easy to make out.  
Renamon had kicked the door, sending the massive door flying into the corridor.  
Judging from the screams and grunts, there had been some people just behind it.  
"Now." Renamon only mutters as she jogs past the shocked Yamaki.  
When she realizes that he isn't moving, she sighs.  
"They're not dead... I guess. I didn't kick with full force." she tries to calm him down.  
"Hm. However, by now everbody knows there are two invading parties in here."  
Yamaki looks at Juri, who had said these words, and nods.  
  
"Fire-BALL!" Guilmon shouts, sending another fireball into the lobby.  
"Lee?" Gargomon asks, briefly looking at his Tamer.  
"What is it?" Lee shouts from his hideout.  
He and Takato had to move once the guards started to return fire.  
"I don't feel that good about this." the Champion Digimon shouts.  
The gigantic dog-bunny shoots into the hall, taking great care to shoot past the guards.  
"I mean... We're fighting... humans!" he shouts after the attack.  
"Right. It's so wrong!" Guilmon adds.  
"I know! I know! But you're not hurting them! Just scaring them!" Takato tries.  
"Besides, they work for the same people who made Ruki braindead!" Lee shouts.  
The boy frowns when he sees Guilmon snickering.  
"Don't! Whatever you want to say: DON'T!" Takato shouts more or less angrily.  
"But- But-" Guilmon stammers, a grin spreading on his face.  
"I'll tell Ruki whatever you say now!" Takato bluffs.  
Guilmon's smile freezes, then shatters into a million pieces.  
"Now scare those guards!" Lee reminds them, pointing into the lobby.  
  
"Thank God, we made it." Juri mutters and gasps.  
Yamaki groans and nods. It hadn't been that much fun running up the twenty floors.  
Even Renamon has started to seat a bit.  
After a short break to catch his breath, Yamaki leads them through the corridor.  
A short time later, they see an intersection leading left and forwards.  
"Just around this corner and we're-" he startes to say, stepping onto the intersection.  
Then everything happens at once.  
Even while he gasps because Renamon pulls him back, he can hear multiple shots being fired.  
When he hits the floor, everything is silent.  
"Holy..." Yamaki mutters, looking down at himself.  
_No bullet holes. No blood. I'm... alive._  
Then he looks at the wall to his right and curses involuntarily.  
He counts about fifty holes. Possibly more. Most of them at chest-level.  
"They're clever and wait for us, knowing we'd come here." Renamon whispers.  
"Now what? They have machineguns, they're in a fortified position..." Yamaki groans.  
Renamon frowns, then nods.  
  
"Is there another way in?" she asks, although she seems to know the answer.  
Yamaki only shakes his head.  
Then he hears somebody shout.  
"Surrender, Yamaki! You have no chance!"  
"You've hurt an innocent girl!" Renamon snaps.  
The woman's eyes become narrow slits when they hear the men snickering.  
"Well, it's a cruel world, people get hurt..." somebody laughs.  
"Yeah. Law of the Jungle I guess!" somebody adds.  
Yamaki gulps when he sees Renamon's hand tremble. A single tear flows down her cheek.  
Then there is a brief flash of light, and Yamaki blinks.  
When he opens his eyes again, he can see two figures instead of one.  
"Hold her for a minute." Renamon mutters, handing him Ruki.  
Yamaki stares down at the unconscious girl in the too-large clothes.  
Then he looks at the fox and frowns.  
"Well, it's a cruel world, people get hurt..." Renamon whispers coldly, flexing her claws.  
"Are you going to-" Juri timidly asks.  
"We have no time to toy around with them."  
With these words, Renamon vanishes.  
  
_Yes... Kill..._  
  
_Kill... Come to me..._  
  
_Come to me... Free me..._  
  
_Free me... and die._  



	6. Back to life?

Tamer Evolution  
Part 6  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
"Why didn't things like that happen on Yamaki's shift?"  
Tenbatsu curses, pacing through the op center.  
"I have the best technology of this planet at my disposal! How could this happen?"  
He looks at the steel doors, nodding slowly.  
"At least I've managed to stop them here." he whispers.  
He had immediately placed 90% of the guards from this level at the door.  
The troops have waited there for Yamaki. And the plan had worked.  
The roar of machine gun fire had startled him a bit, but not much.  
"Do you think they managed to hold them off, sir?" a guard asks.  
Tenbatsu nods. The remaining 10% are in the op center, just in case.  
Then he can hear a scream coming from outside.  
Before he can ask anything, he can hear more creams coming from the outside.  
Not one shot is being fired.  
Then there is silence again. Dead silence.  
  
Yamaki gulps when he risks a glance around the corner.  
Renamon is standing in the middle of the guards.  
Or rather: She is standing in the middle of what is left of the guards.  
The floor and the walls are covered with blood, just like Renamon's claws.  
Renamon is shaking visibly, as if realizing for the first time what has happened.  
"Oh my GOD!" Jusr mutters when she sees the scene.  
"They're alive... most of them..." Renamon whispers.  
Yamaki doesn't like the fact that she makes the statement sound like a question.  
"...some of them..."  
With that being said, she moves away from the door.  
Yamaki gulps again when he realizes what might happen if his plan to bring back Ruki fails.  
  
The entire op center is silent.  
Everybody looks at Tenbatsu.  
"The doors are locked?" the man asks.  
"They are, sir." one of the guards whispers.  
Tenbatsu nods slowly.  
"This is madness. We're not safe here."  
He turns to face the woman who had spoken.  
"What?" he asks Reika, who is sitting in a chair.  
"This door won't hold them back. And the guards should surrender as soon as possible."  
"You're MAD!" Tenbatsu barks, trying to hide his own worries.  
Just then, the massive steal door seams to glow.  
A split-second later, it shatters, covering the ground with debris.  
  
Renamon stares through the smoking doorway, her arms still raised at her sides.  
He attack had shredded the door just as planned.  
The humans would pay. She would make them pay for what they had done.  
She whirls around when she feels somebody touch her side.  
Her claws are already flying towards the attacker when she realizes who is standing there.  
"J-Juri?" she whispers, almost sounding like a child now.  
"Please, Renamon! Stop this!" Juri cries, pointing at the bloody corridor.  
The fox blinks. Then she looks at her blood-covered paws.  
_Have I gone too far? What would Ruki think of this?_  
She bites her lower lip, her paw trembling now.  
"You're right. This is unneccessary. I've gon-"  
Her confession is interrupted by a single bullet slamming through her shoulder.  
  
"One's down! It's the Digimon!" a guard reports, lowering his rifle.  
Reika gulps.  
_This is insane!_ she tells herself.  
The guard smiles and raises his rifle again.  
He never has a chance to complete the move because a crystal shard hits his right arm.  
The guard screams in pain, holding his wounded arm.  
His buddies make their final mistakes by storming the doorway.  
"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!" she can hear a distant voice shout.  
She covers her eyes and only hears the guards scream in pain.  
When the screams go on, she knows that these haven't been killing shots.  
Then she can hear steps. Somebody coming in. Slowly.  
Reika risks a look and smiles when she sees Yamaki.  
  
"YOU!" Tenbatsu yells, pointing at Yamaki.  
"Indeed." Yamaki mutters as he walks to a console.  
"Stop, Yamaki! You not authorized to acc-"  
Tenbatsu's protest is silenced by a paw applying pressure to his windpipe.  
"You are the man who took away my Tamer." Renamon whispers.  
Yamaki frowns when he sees Tenbatsu's struggles becoming mroe frantic.  
"Renamon." he mutters, but the fox doesn't answer.  
"Because of you, people have died today." Renamon continues.  
She looks at the struggling man and smiles when she sees his struggles becoming weaker.  
"You're a weakling. Nothing more."  
With these words, Renamon lets Tenbatsu fall to the ground, where the man coughs wildly.  
Yamaki sighs. A dead Tenbatsu would have been bad for his own plans.  
"Renamon, Juri. Please bring Ruki here." he says, typing some commands.  
"Boss, haven't you read my mail?" Reika whispers, coming over to him.  
Yamaki gives her a look.  
"Do you want to tell her that Ruki is presumably dead?" he whispers back.  
  
The first thing Yamaki had done was to call back the guards from the lobby.  
He knows that Lee and Takato would fall back now.  
"I've got the hardware you requested, boss." Megumi announces.  
The woman gives him a large helmet.  
"Thanks. How're you doing over there, Reika?"  
"Almost done, boss." somebody shouts from under the consoles.  
_Good. Once Reika is finished reconfiguring the equipment Tenbatsu used, we're all set._  
Yamaki frowns. He doubts that this will work. Reika's mail had told him so.  
She had told him that Ruki's personality had been wiped. Deleted. Killed.  
But he decided to go on, simply because he knows these kids and their Digimon.  
_They would have tried it anyway._  
Still, he knows that he is risking his life with this plan.  
_What if it doesn't work? Renamon has killed those guards easily. She could do so again._  
He had never thought of Digimon as murderers. They kept their fights among themselves.  
_Until a human attacked her Tamer._ he reminds himself.  
Yamaki frowns and looks at Tenbatsu, who is tied to a chair nearby.  
_If Renamon doesn't kill him after this, I might be tempted to so..._ he grimly thinks.  
  
Juri watches the crew preparing Ruki's rescue.  
She strokes Renamon's fur, keeping the Digimon close to her.  
"Everything will be all right." she whispers.  
Every muscle in Renamon's body is tensed.  
Juri knows that she has to keep talking.  
_Renamon's too dangerous if nobody keeps her occupied._  
She can see that Yamaki is ready to begin now. He is already putting a helmet over Ruki's head.  
Renamon hurries to Yamaki, her tail hanging low.  
  
"Yamaki." he hears Renamon hiss as she grabs his arm.  
He tries to keep his nevousness out of his voice.  
"What is it?" he asks.  
The Digimon looks down at Ruki, then back at Yamaki.  
"Whatever happens now, I won't blame you." she finally whispers.  
He feels like sighing, but manages to simply nod instead.  
Renamon also nods, then kneels next to Ruki, holding her hand.  
Yamaki bites his lip, knowing that the Digimon trusts him completely now.  
"Okay people! Let's move it!" he finally shouts, clapping his hands.  
  
Kneeling next to her Tamer, Renamon reviews the events so far.  
She has dragged the others into a fight. She has wounded and killed humans.  
_All this just because of my selfish wish?_  
She sighs, stroking Ruki's hand.  
_Ruki will decide what to do. Let her be my judge._  
In the background, Yamaki gives several orders, sounding more like a character from Star Trek.  
"Very well. Attempt the transfer!" he finally orders.  
Renamon bites her lower lip. The moment of truth has finally come.  
Long seconds pass.  
"Nothing, sir." Reika finally whispers.  
The Digimon struggles hard not to collapse right away.  
"Ruki!" she whispers, tears flowing down her face.  
She would have kissed her Tamer just like a fairy tale character.  
But the helmet is covering Ruki's entire head.  
  
"Please! We've come this far to save you!" the Digimon begs.  
Yamaki gulps. He has never witnessed something like this before.  
Of course, he had known of the strong bond between Tamer and Digimon.  
That had become obvious when the Gate had taken the Digimon away.  
But this... is more. The terms love or family come to his mind.  
"Reika, re-attempt transfer." he whispers, staring at the crying fox.  
"Sir, it is usele-" Reika starts to protest.  
Yamaki's fierce stare instantly silences her.  
"Re-attempting transfer." she quickly whispers.  
"I've got something!" Megumi suddenly announces.  
"Transfer has started!" Reika shouts.  
Yamaki smiles when he sees Ruki's body spasm lightly, a sign of the transfer.  
Renamon looks at him, and he simply nods.  
_Everything will be all right._  
  
After a long minute, Ruki's body goes limp again.  
Renamon moves a bit to allow Yamaki access to the helmet.  
The man carefully removes it and gently places the head on a small pillow.  
"D-Did it work?" Renamon asks, as if talking to a doctor.  
"The transfer has been successful." Yamaki replies carefully.  
Renamon is about to ask more when she hears Ruki groan.  
Everybody now looks at the young groaning girl.  
"Ruki!" Renamon whispers, her mouth inches from Ruki's face away.  
The Tamer's eyes fly open, startling Renamon a bit.  
"R...Renamon?" she asks weakly.  
Instead of answering, Renamon hugs her Tamer.  
"You're back!" she cheers, tears flowing freely again.  
"Yes. I'm back." Ruki whispers and snickers.  
  
Yamaki quickly checks if anybody is watching him.  
When he is sure everybody is still staring at Ruki, he sighs and wipes the sweat from his forehead.  
He isn't sure what would have happened if the transfer hadn't worked.  
_Renamon had promised not to hurt anybody, but would she have remembered it?_  
Yamaki shakes his head. It has worked. That's all that counts for now.  
He walks over to her, remembering the bag he has brought along.  
Renamon looks up at him, but he only smiles and opens the bag.  
"Here. She might want to wear something more fitting." he whispers.  
He had taken one of Ruki's normal outfit just before they had left.  
"Thanks." Renamon whispers and nods.  
"Come on, Ruki, let's go home." she whispers and picks up her Tamer.  
  
Juri smiles when Renamon comes her way.  
"Ruki! I'm so glad to see you back again." she tells her friend.  
Ruki looks at her and cocks her head. Finally she also smiles.  
"You... Yes, of course..." Ruki whispers and pets Juri's cheek.  
Renamon raises an eyebrow, but doesn't say anything.  
_Ruki has been through lots of trouble. Small wonder she's acting... strange._ Juri thinks.  
"I'll visit you someday, okay?" Juri promises, and Ruki nods.  
"Please do so. I can't wait to meet you again..." Ruki whispers.  
Juri frowns lightly, but keeps smiling.  
"After all, you have done so much for me in the past..." Ruki continues.  
Renamon frowns, but only shrugs.  
"Errrr... Come now, Ruki. We'll get you dressed. And then we'll go home."  
"Yes, Renamon. I have been away for quite some time, haven't I?"  
The Digimon nods and carries her Tamer out.  
_Something's not right here. I'm sure of it..._ Juri thinks.  
But she decides not to say anything for now.  
  
_Hello, Juri... How nice to see you again..._  



End file.
